Burial vault lowering device



Juiy W, 3.93%. c, w. GOODSMAN BURIAL VAULT LQWERING DEVICE Filed Nov. 19, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jufiy E6, 1935. c w, GOODSMAN BURIAL VAULT LOWERING DEVICE Filed Nov. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 attorney Patented July 16, 1935 2,008,444

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BURIAL VAULT 'LownmNG DEvrcn v Charles W. Goodsman, Portland, reg., assignor to Frigid Fluid Company, a corporation of Illinois Application November 19, 1932, Serial No. 643,455

4 Claims. (01.2545136) This invention relates to lowering apparatus facilitate movement of the vault, on conveyor adapted particularly for use in lowering a heavy wheels 9 and ID, to position over the grave; The burial vault into a grave. end frames which are equipped with winding The primary object of the invention is to promechanism have supporting brackets 52 and 53 vide a simple mechanism which can be taken which fit over the track members I and Band by 5 apart without difficulty after being used and will beveling their upper edge portions as shown' in occupy but a smallspace. The device may be Fig. 6, the conveying wheels will roll over the assembled'by comparatively unskilled workmen same without difliculty- The track members 1 but will work satisfactorily without requiring any and d serve to hold the end frames in proper fine adjustment or particular care in assembling. spaced relation and also prevent the pulley sup- 10 A further object of the invention is to provide a ports, described below, from causing said frames lowering device which is made up in two units to roll over. i disposed at opposite ends of the grave and coop- The end frames are equipped with supporting crate in lowering a vault although each end is shoes 54 and 55 which rest wellback on the individually controlled by an operator. shoulders 2 and 3 of the g The invention is illustrated in a preferred em- R s dlv c n cted t th suppo tin b ts 52 bodiment in the accompanying drawings, in and 53 are winding cases or housings 55 and 51. which-- I As the four mechanisms are similar we will'de- Fig, 1 i plan vie of th improved apparatus scribe but one in particular. Referring to Fig. '5,

supporting a burial vault, the base of which supwill be seen that a'hohow shaft 58 from the 20 ports a'casket and is ready to receive the lid. of companion n sm Of t e Same-end frame the vault which is shown on conveying wheels makes a telescopiflcofinection h Shaft 59. t th left; Fig 2 is an end .elevational view of Said shafts are provided with holes 60 so that,

a grave over which t 1 1 device and 3,c'- they will'make an adjustable driving connection companying mechanism have been positioned to with each other y 1188 Of a cking pin 6|. 'A

lower a lid of'the vault into position; Fig. 3 is a Winding drum 52 having?! helical b e grove iiii side elevational view showing one of the conveyis Sphhed t0 the Shaft 59. 50 as to be longitudiing devicesin engagement with the lid of a burial nally movable thereon- A flexible connection, t; Fig 4 is p View of one part of one which may be a wire cable, chain, or the like, has

of the end frames of the mechanism; Fig. 5 is a its end P0143011 55 Connected '60 said drum. In 6 broken plan sectignal View of t same from order'that the cable will always feed out of the low; 'Fig. 6 is an end elevational view taken as samepol'tion 0f the housing a p Screw 66 is indicated t 11 5 5 of Fig 4; Fig 7 is a provided in the housing and has a finger 61 which tional view taken as indicated at line 1-1 of Fig; jects n the ove 63 and serves to move 4; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken at line 8-8 the drum longitudinally of the Shaft 59 in timed 35 of Fig. 4. relation to the rotation thereof. As shown in In the embodiment illustrated, l designates a Figsa hollow trunnion 68 supp a sheave grave having shoulder portions 2 and 3 which 59, ql pped with a hood 10 and a shaft H. The support the vault lowering device. The device h h 53 has a Circumferential ve 12 is disposed around the marginal portion of the Whlch 1S engaged y Mocking P 13 Sc ewed into 40 grave with the winding mechanisms at each end the filmy-Supporting boss 14 P v ded On the upon which is placed a, vault ba 4, The vault housing 51. Thus it will be understood that the base may be placed in position before a funeral cable extends u h the trunnion 68 around party arrives to placeacasket5thereon. Avault h Pulley H to e P y in the pan on lid 6 may then be moved into position so as to Wlhdlng mec anism. When the cable is wound 45 cover the casket and rest on the vault base which up recelve t Vau t base, the pulleys will be i will then be ready for lowering into the grave. substantially a horizontal position as shown in Preferably apair of wooden blocks are provided at AS the Vault s lowered the Pu y w l the bottom of the grave to support the assembly pivot on the trunnions 68 to the position shown in 50 and permit the supporting cables to be swung Fi s. 6 and '7- 50 out from under the ends of the vault. This avoids After the vault has been lowered and the loops the necessity for unfastening one end of the in the cables swung from under the vault the cable or providing it with a. releasable connection. device may be wound up by rotating the shafts Preferably track members I and 8, which may 58 and. 59 by means of gear 15 and worm 16, shown be in the form of wooden planks, are provided to in Fig. 5. The shaft 59 is journalled in a pair 55 of closure heads 11 and 18 which make a threaded connection with the housing. As shown in 'showninFig. 3. In order to stop the, forward movement of the vault at the properpo'sition :a stop member 80 having an upwardly projecting finger BI is provided on the housing 51.

. stop member may be provided with a ring clasp 82having a finger 84 to engage the projection'83' in the housing to prevent the member from being swung below a horizontal position.

By using the conveying mechanism shown i'ri' Figs. 1-3, in connection with the lowering device,

a very simple method of completely assembling the Vault Within the grave may be-pracficed' endframemembers adapted to be disposed at Usually, the vault has a baseportion 4 and box V shaped cover 6,.although in some-cases thebase'is int'the form of a box and a cover completesthe closure. In either case, the conveying wheels 9 and-l9 may be used toposition the base4 upon the, lowering cables 64 before the funeral party arrives. The pall-bearers may then placethe casket upon the base of the vault andthe base 'the cover member by the manual rotation of the worm gears'lfi at each endof the grave; or, if desired, the top maybe lowered down to the base by means of the jack-screws provided in the con cable drum splined to said shaft, means for movveying wheels; The conveyingwheels can then be .dbconriectedandthevault which has been "sealed at the ground level may then be lowered ing the drum longitudinally of the shaft in timed relation to the rotation thereof, and a pulley rotatably and swivelly journalled on said housing A mechanism as specified in claim 1, in 'which the cable drums'are equipped with spirally'wound grooves, one drum being wound to the right and the other to the left, and the means V for moving-the drum longitudinally of the shaft comprises stationary fingers mounted in the frarr e rn ember so as to engage said grooves;

3. A'vault lowering device comprising: a pair of opposite ends of a grave, each of said frame members having a shaft journalled therein, winding drums mounted on said shafts, a pair of pulley-supporting bosses on each of said endframe members adjacent to said drums, apulley rotatably and swivelly mounted on each of said bosses, a separate cable for each end-frame threaded over the pulleys thereof. and attached its ends to the adjacent drums; anda pair of sideframe. members'adjustably secured to said endfram'e members to hold the same in longitu'dinalspaced relation and prevent rotation thereof while'a vault is supported on said cables.

4. A vault lowering device comprising: an end frame adapted to be disposed at an end of a grave, said end frame having two similar parts andfleacl part comprising a drum housing, a shaft journalled therein, a winding drum in said housing splined to said-shaft, said drum, being provided; with a helical cable igroove,hstationary finger-means in said housing engaging said groove so assto move said drum longitudinally on thefshaft'in timed relation to the rotation thereof, and a pulley swivelly and rotatably mounted-on said'housing; a cable threadedover the pulleys of both parts and connected to the drums thereof; 'an adjustable driving connection between saidshafts of the'twoparts; and manual means for simultaneously winding the cable on said drums. l 1 r J CHARLES W. GOODSMAN. 

